1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle article carriers, and more particularly to an article carrier adapted to be used in connection with the cargo bed of a vehicle such as a pick-up truck to support cargo elevationally above a floor of a cargo bed.
2. Discussion
Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of applications to transport cargo typically on an outer surface of the vehicle. Typically such article carriers employ one or more elongated slats which are mounted along a vehicle roof parallel to the sides of the vehicle.
With vehicles such as pick-up trucks, which have an open cargo bed, the roof line typically does not present sufficient area to mount elongated slats as is conventionally done with other vehicles. Accordingly, operators of pick-up trucks who wish to transport large articles that can not be placed inside the cab area of the vehicle have typically placed such articles in the cargo bed. In certain instances, however, the articles to be transported may still be too large to fit completely within the cargo bed of the vehicle and have thus presented a problem with conveniently securing them within the cargo bed. Still further, articles which may be frequently transported, such as bicycles and other similar recreational vehicles, often take up considerable space within the cargo bed of the vehicle thereby limiting the amount of other cargo that can be placed within the cargo bed. Other forms of articles such as skis, while fitting within the cargo bed, often restrict the placement of other luggage within the cargo bed since they may be more awkward to secure within the cargo bed, and it may not be desirable to set other luggage items on or near them for risk of damage.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an article carrier system especially adapted for use with a cargo bed of a vehicle such as a pick-up truck which can support a wide variety of cargo elevationally above a floor of the cargo bed of the vehicle, thus permitting the cargo bed to be filled substantially with other cargo.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an article carrier especially adapted for use with a vehicle such as a pick-up truck having a cargo bed, where the article carrier allows lateral positioning of a wide variety of cargo items which may be too large to fit clearly within the cargo bed of the vehicle.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an article carrier for a vehicle such as a pick-up truck having a cargo bed, where the article carrier is adapted to be used with one or more elongated support planks to enable certain cargo, for example, such as a bicycle, to be supported elevationally above the floor of the cargo bed of the vehicle.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an article carrier for a vehicle such as a pick-up truck having a cargo bed, where the article carrier can be lockably secured to the cargo bed such that it cannot be removed from the cargo bed except with the aid of a key which permits access to components of the article carrier which permit it to be detached from the cargo bed.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an article carrier for a vehicle such as a pick-up truck which does not significantly interfere with the placement of articles within the cargo bed while the article carrier is secured in place on the cargo bed.